How to Feed a Kitten With a Dropper

An orphaned kitten needs a dedicated owner to feed it regularly throughout the day. You can feed very young kittens -- those under three weeks old -- with a dropper and kitten milk replacer, which is available at most veterinary clinics and pet stores. Use a plastic, 10 ml size dropper (also known as 10 cc dropper).

Things You'll Need

  • 10 ml plastic dropper
  • Kitten milk replacer
  • Scale
  • Towel
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Instructions

    • 1

      Warm the kitten milk replacer to body temperature (about 98 degrees Fahrenheit). Warm a small amount of the milk replacer by running hot tap water over the bottle or can. Do not microwave, since this can cause uneven heating and create pockets of scalding milk.

    • 2

      Wash the dropper with hot water and soap, and rinse it thoroughly.

    • 3

      Squeeze and release the bulb of the dropper to fill it with kitten milk replacer. Set the kitten, stomach down, on a towel.

    • 4

      Place the dropper's tip near or into the kitten's mouth and release a few drops. Let the kitten taste and swallow the milk. Continue to drip a few drops at a time until the kitten is used to drinking. Soon, the kitten will lap and suck at the dropper on its own. Do not squeeze the dropper to force milk into the kitten's mouth.

    • 5

      Feed the kitten 8 ml of kitten milk replacer for every ounce of its body weight per day.

      Week 1: six times a day, a total of about 32 mL

      Week 2: four times a day, a total of about 56 mL

      Week 3: three times a day, a total of about 80 mL

      Week 4: three times a day, a total of about 104 mL

      Week 5: three times a day, a total of about 128 mL

    • 6

      After three weeks, you can introduce the kitten to meat-based kitten kibble that's moistened with kitten milk replacer. Continue supplementing the kitten's diet with milk replacer until its sixth week of life, at which time it can begin eating solid foods.